Apparatus for automatically preventing railway accidents.



N0. 659,307. Patented 0st. 9, I900.

J. M.- LAFFAS.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS. I (Appl ication filed May 4. 1900.

(No modal.) I 3 Sheets-Sheet l.

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No. 659,307. Patented Oct. 9, i900.

- J. M. LAFFAS.

APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

(Application filed May 4, 1900.)

(lo Indal.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 2.

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Patented Oct. 9.1900. J. M. LAFFAS. APPARATUS FOR AUTOMATICALLY PREVENTING RAILWAY AGCIDENTS.

(Application filed my 4, 1900.)

3 Sheets-Shaat 3.

(In Modbl.)

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" ATENT NITED STATES JEAN MARIE LAFFAS, or LE vEsINET, FRANCE, ASSIGNOR TO THE LAFFAS s n cArn, LIMITED, or LONDON, ENGLAND.

APPARATUS FOR. AUTOMATICALLY PREVENTING RAILWAY ACCIDENTS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 659,307, dated October 9, 1900.

Application r1811 May 4, 1900; Serial No. 15,541. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern: ber n from the lower chamber n. This (3113.111 Be it known that I, JEAN MARIE LAFFAS, ber ncommunicates with the opening of the civil engineer, a resident of the city of Le V- pipe 0, while the chamber 91' communicates sinet, in the Republic of .France, have inwith the "opening of the pipe following 55 vented new and useful Improvements in and which is the train-pipe c in the case of a con- Oonnected with Apparatus for Automatically tinuous air-brake. Preventing Railway fAccidents, which im- In the lower casing b is the perforated or provements are fully set forth in the follow} {open chamber 10, surrounded by a free space ing specification. i communicating with a pipe q, and in which 60 The present invention relates to improvea piston r works. The bottom of the piston ments in apparatus designed to increase the r rests on the flat part of the projection s of safety in the running of trains or vehicles on the depending lever f, while the bottom of railway-lines, more precisely to an automatic the valve it rests on the head of the piston r. valve-motion actuating the brakes, to a stop- A screw-cap 25, attached to the valve arrange- 65 block placed at any point to be protected, and ment by a small chain when the brakes are third, to counter rail-bars placed near any compressed-airbrakes,enables the chambern point of the line to be protected. to be closed against the external air, while the In order to render my invention more clear, bottom of the valve is rests on the head of the I beg to refer to the accompanying drawings,- pistonr. The tightness of the joints is in- In wh1ch v g sured by means of membranes and india-rub- Figure 1 is an elevational view of the autober washers u v w y.

matic valve-motion. Fig. 2 is a vertical sec- In the case of vacuum-brakes the construction through the axis along the line 1 2 in tion 'of the valve arrangement or distributer Fig. 1. Fig. 3 illustrates a'plan view of Fig. is not in any way altered. The captis merely 75 2; Fig. 4, a section along the line 3 4 of Fig. removed, as also the membrane to beneath,

2. Fig. '5 shows an elevational view of the which thus allows the external air to enter counter rail-bars. Fig. 6 is a plan view of the chamber n, and the cap 7. is screwed onto said bars; Fig. 7, aside view of the same. Fig. the pipe q to close it. At the same time 8 illustrates a side view of the wire support 3" the apparatus is turned around in such a man- 80 Fig. 9, an elevational view of the stop-block," ner that the ejector is on the left following Fig. 10, a plan view, and Fig. 11 a side elethe pipe 0 and at the end of the train-pipe c,

vational View of the same. in which it produces a vacuum.

The improved disengaging valve motion A sector .2, with a raised rim and furnished comprises two casings a I), screwed together, at a suitable point with stop-teeth, is fixed to 85 3 5 the casing 19 being furnished with two arms the lower part of the casing 19, while a springor branches 0 d, supporting a cross-pin e,'on tongue piece a, fixed on the depending lever which a suspended disengaging lever f is f, rubs against the raised rim, coming into enloosely mounted. At the lower extremity of gagement with and resting on one of the stopthe lever f is a roller g, made of some supple teeth when the disengaging lever is raised,

40 material and mounted to rotate about the axis thus keeping the'lever in the raised position. h. The combined casings ab are supported In the case of continuous air-brakes the by hangers ij, onthe flat part of which they air comes from the head reservoir and'through are bolted, the hangers t'j being fixed at a the pipe 0 into the chamber n, passes through suitable point to the locomotive mom of the the opening Z in the seat, and fills the pipe 0'.

5 carriages. v The brakes are thus released.

In the interior upper partof the casing a 7 ,When the disengaging lever f is raised by is a valve is, the function of which is hereinthe stop-block,which is arranged at a convenafter explained for working with compressed- 'ient point of the track in the path of the air or vacuum brakes. An opening Z, over lever, the piston r descends and places the I00 which the valve it is seated, is formed in the chamber n in communication with the pipe q partition m, which separates the upper charm and the external air. At the same time the valve k also drops onto its seat Z and prevents prolongation d of the lever Z carrying the any compressed air from entering the chamber n. The air contained in the pipe 0 then escapes outside through the chamber a, the open or perforated chamber 19, and the pipe q and the brakes are promptly and firmly applied to the wheels.

If the brakes be arranged for working on the vacuum system, in which a steam-ejector constantly forms a vacuum in the train-pipe and keeps the brake-blocks away from the wheels, the cap t is removed from its seat and screwed onto the pipe q to close it, as hereinbefore described. This having been done and the lever f raised by the stop-block arranged on the track, the piston a" descends into the chamber 19 and the valve it falls onto its seat I, thus preventing any communication between the chamber n (which communicates with the suction-ejector situated at the end of the pipe, as well as the distributer) and the chamber n, into which and into the trainpipe which follows it the external air enters, the effect of this being to promptly and firmly apply the brakes. The automatic disengaging valve-motion or distributer can thus by simply removing the cap t be adapted either to compressed-air brakes of the Vvestinghouse or VVenger type, for example, or to continuous vacuum-brakes. In the first case it is also at the head of this pipe, but turned with the ejector atthe left and at the end of the pipe 0'.

The stop-block against which strikes the hanging lever of the before-explained distributer is represented in Figs. 9, 10, and 11. It consists of a strong but flexible plate 0 bent as illustrated in Fig. 9. To the axis a of said block is fixed a lever b, which is connected with signal-rod c, actuating the signal. The axis a is provided with an arm d, carrying a counterweightp', adapted to be regulated and designed to keep in equilibrium the flexible plate 0 and its supports a b Thus the manipulation of the stop-block is rendered very easy as well as when efiected by hand or by theweight of the wheels acting on the counter rail-bars, which will be hereinafter fully described. These bars are illustrated in Figs. 5, 0, 7, and 8. They are supported by the supports 0 of the rails. In ordinary position these bars project somewhat above the rails, while the corresponding position of the stopblock is that in which the same is lowered and the line is free. When a train has passed over this stop-block and reaches that part of the rails which is provided with counter railbars, the latter will be depressed, and owing to the manipulating-wire and to the arm Z the stop-block is raised and the line is blocked. It thus will be clear that no train can enter the station or, more precisely, can reach tha part of the rail provided with counter railbars until the stop-block is lowered again.

In order to facilitate the actuation of the counter rail-bars, they are equilibrated by means of the counterweight p fixed to the manipulating-wire 6 Having now fully described and ascertained the nature of my invention, I declare that what I claim is 1. The combination with the train-pipe of a fluid-pressure brake system, of a valvechamber in the train-pipe said chamber being divided into two normally-communicating compartments with which the parts of the train-pipe respectively connect and through which they communicate, a normally-open valve for closing communication between the compartments of the valve-chamber, a second normally-closed valve for opening a passage from one of the compartments to the atmosphere, and means associated with the track for efiecting the operation of said valves, whereby the brakes are applied.

2. The combination with the train-pipe of a fluid-pressure brake system, of a valvechamber in the train-pipe said chamber being divided into two normally communicating compartments with which the parts of the train-pipe respectively connect and through which they communicate, a valve normally opening communication between the compart-ments of the valve-chamber but closing a passage from one compartment to the atmosphere, and means associated with the track for effectingthe operation of said valves as the train passes, whereby the brakes are applied.

3. The combination with the train-pipe of a fluid-pressure brake system, of a Valvechamber in the train-pipe said chamber being divided into two normallycommunicating compartments with which the parts of the train-pipe respectively connect and through which they communicate, a valve normally opening communication between the compartments of the valve-chamber but closing a passage from one compartment to the atmosphere, a second normally-closed valve for opening a passage from the other compartment to the atmosphere, means independent of the valves for closing the passage from one compartment to the atmosphere, and means associated with the track for eifecting the operation of the valves as the train passes, whereby the brakes are applied.

4. The combination with the train-pipe of a fluid-pressure brake system, a valve located in said train-pipe and adapted to open a port to the atmosphere to effect the application of the brakes, and a depending trip arm or lever for effecting the opening of said port, of a normally-lowered device associated with the track and adapted when raised to trip the depending arm or lever on the car as the latter passes,a normally-elevated counter-rail along the track connected with the tripping device and adapted upon being depressed by the carwheel to elevate said tripping device into operative position to trip the arm or lever on the car and thus apply the brakes.

5. In an automatic distributor, the con1bination with a sector ,2 furnished with stopspecification in the presence of the two subteeth and the spring-tongue pieces z rubbing scribing witnesses.

a ainst the raised rim of this sector and engzging with and resting on one of th ese teeth JEAN MARIE LAFFAS' 5 substantially and for the purposes as de- Witnesses:

scribed. ANDRE BARUOK,

In testimony whereof I have signed this EDWARD P. MACLEAN; 

